Summary:
In the 1990's, there was a growing amount of interest in accountability amongst governors, corporate executives, etc. They wanted to know if their tax dollars were getting a good return in education. George H.W. Bush established the National Education Goals Panel, which set and monitored lofty goals for the year 2000. The panel quietly vanished when none of the goals were met. George W. Bush would later create No Child Left Behind in 2001. It declared that all students should be proficient in reading and math by 2014, with consequences for schools which were not meeting standards. Parents and teachers who protested were simply labeled "anti-testing fanatics" and were ignored.
Main Points:
Accountability stemmed from a desire for measurable academic success.
Misuse of high stakes testing is a major problem with NCLB.
Information from tests can be useful if the tests are valid and reliable.
States lower standards in order to become more proficient.
Reactions: It is ridiculous, as Ravitch realizes, that Bush wanted everyone to be proficient by 2014. It encourages states to lower the standards so that they can meet proficiency. Though it seems that there are major gains in the state's proficiency, in reality, the tests are so much easier. This is what NCLB encourages in its need for total proficiency, which is an unreachable goal. It puts unnecessary pressure on both students and teachers and is not making any noticeable gains.
Chapter 8: The Trouble with Accountability
Summary:
In the 1990's, there was a growing amount of interest in accountability amongst governors, corporate executives, etc. They wanted to know if their tax dollars were getting a good return in education. George H.W. Bush established the National Education Goals Panel, which set and monitored lofty goals for the year 2000. The panel quietly vanished when none of the goals were met. George W. Bush would later create No Child Left Behind in 2001. It declared that all students should be proficient in reading and math by 2014, with consequences for schools which were not meeting standards. Parents and teachers who protested were simply labeled "anti-testing fanatics" and were ignored.
Main Points:
Reactions: It is ridiculous, as Ravitch realizes, that Bush wanted everyone to be proficient by 2014. It encourages states to lower the standards so that they can meet proficiency. Though it seems that there are major gains in the state's proficiency, in reality, the tests are so much easier. This is what NCLB encourages in its need for total proficiency, which is an unreachable goal. It puts unnecessary pressure on both students and teachers and is not making any noticeable gains.